So I had an impulse purchase at Petsmart today. The bettas were on clearance and there were kids talking about how many they could afford and how many could fit in a tank and the mom didn't care . . .

Anyway.

I now own a betta. He's a pretty and active boy, seems quite healthy. I gave him his dinner of betta pellets tonight and he was right on top of that. But he popped the pellet in his mouth, worked it for a bit, then spit it out. He repeated that twice as it floated down, then ignored it when it hit the bottom. He repeated that with the other two pellets he got. I broke one in half and he ate that, but it seems hit and miss.

Are the pellets too big, or is this his subtle way of telling me to try again with a different type of food? These appear to be Tetra brand.

It's not uncommon for betta to not eat right after they get a new home. I don't feed my new fish for at least the first two days in which I get them. Betta go through an adjustment period. Just give him some time.

Since you are new to bettas I suggest you read the stickies we have around this forum. They are very informative.

I use to have the same problem with my first betta Junior. I came to realize that the pellets were to big. What your betta is doing is normal. They take a bite and if its to big and hard they spit it out then repeat the process until they can eat it. I use to break my pellets up as well and that became time consuming. Now I just buy Hikari Betta Bio-Gold. They are small and the perfect size. Both of my betta's love them and I haven't had a problem with them spiting them out again. Plus they float. My betta Junior will not eat anything that hits the ground.

Thanks to both of you! I just had a momentary panic since I wasn't sure what to think. I'll check tomorrow to see if I can find Hikari for my new friend.

thekoimaiden, I've been reading all night and going a bit cross-eyed. But the good news is that he's in a lighted, filtered tank with a thermometer and currently sitting at about 80 degrees. I've got sponges on the filter and a little espresso cup for him to hide in with a cave made of tumbled agates next to it. I think he'll be comfortable for now. Of course I'm already looking at getting him an upgrade and trying live plants. Who knew my $1.99 fish would lead to this?

I did see some that were really striking, but I had to nab Lucky because he was in the generic 'male betta' group. He wasn't even with the rest of the fish, he was on a side shelf next to the $.99 females. I decided he was too pretty and active to stay there anymore.

And he thanked me by flaring and giving me the hairy eyeball the whole way home.

I think I'm going to take a break from trying to figure out all of these really complicated care topics. He's warm, he's fed, he's happy, he's got a place to hide (not that he's using it), and I'm sure his water levels are just fine for tonight. I think I can stop obsessing over him and instead stare at the pictures and try to figure out what color he is.

I'm really want to try java moss, as it was recommended as something that was really easy to grow. I'm a bit of a black thumb, so the hardier the better. His tank will look a lot more inviting with some floating about.

You are 100% correct Catie79. Reading all those care-topics will drive you crazy. What works for someone else might now work for you. As long as your betta is healthy and happy that is all that matters. Everything else you will figure out in time.

Don't worry about his color. As he gets bigger and more developed his true color will come out.

'Lo and behold, the Hikari pellets I picked up today did the trick. Lucky was more than happy to wolf his dinner down with those. Only down side is that he is already exhibiting begging behavior whenever I go by the sink.

Why do they have to look so cute?

Thanks for the recommendation, nice to know it was an easy fix. I've tossed the pellets I had since I've now learned to read the ingredients and that flour should not be the first ingredient.